Tuesday, September 6, 2011

How To Flea Market Vol. II

So now your car is all packed and you’re pumped for some reselling
action. Here are some things I have learned that help make the most of it while
you are at the flea market:

This is a case of having way too much stuff...

Get an early start. If the
flea market officially starts at x AM, be there at x-1 AM the latest. After
all, you want to secure a good spot for your stand and find a suitable place to
park your car!

Start setting up right away.
If people are already trying to buy things off of you, let them, even if that
interrupts your setteling in. What you sell now is gone and you don’t have to
worry about selling it later. Duh. Sorry, that was an obvious one…

Display your best pieces
prominently. They will lure customers to your stand and make them dig deeper,
seeing as you might have more treasures like that somewhere in those boxes…

Make sure everything is
spread out and that people can see your stuff easily. You will sell more.

When no one is browsing, get
things back in order. When people cause disarray in said order, smile. And
rearrange discreetly once they turn away.

Chat. Tell the stories behind
the things you are selling. If there is none, and your conscience doesn’t tell
you to shut up, invent one. (Never actually did that. But I guess if the story
is obviously not true, people might buy it because you are so fun and
charming?)

Beware of “professionals”:
People who go to every flea market in the area, buy stuff off people like us,
and then resell is for a harder price. Just make sure they don’t talk you into
lowering your price more then you planned to. Unfortunately, the only sure way
to spot those people is by recognizing them, so if you are new to that market,
beware when someone tries very hard to bargain…

If you think this next tip is
completely outrageous, please say so, as I am not sure how to feel about it
myself. It is something my Dad told me the first time we went to the flea
market (I was, um, maybe twelve?) and his social conscience is huge. So he
suggested making the price depend on the buyer, aka making someone dressed in
nice, expensive-looking clothes pay a little more. Please let me know your
feelings about this in the comments!

If there is one piece
everyone looks at, but nobody buys, it is probably too expensive. Consider
lowering your price. If it is too dear to you, sell it on eBay or to a
consignment store.

Talk to the people manning
the neighboring stands. They might become your best customers, as they see your
stuff constantly.

Think hard about spending
your newly-earned cash at other stands.

And again, most importantly:
Have fun!

How do you optimize your selling strategy? Please add all of the things
I have missed (I am sure there are many…) in the comments!

(Next week: What to do after the flea market, the week after that: What to do when shopping the flea market)